SEATTLE Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay's ailing quarterback, ran for a touchdown early, then threw two scoring passes in the second half to perhaps save the Packers' season in a 27-17 win over Seattle.
The Seahawks paid for having to start No. 3 quarterback Charlie Frye. It looked inept on offense while dropping to 1-4 — the equal of the St. Louis Rams at the bottom of the NFC West the Seahawks have ruled the last four seasons. Seattle was last 1-4 in 2002, its most recent losing season.
Rodgers, again starting despite a sprained throwing shoulder, was 21-for-30 with 208 yards as Green Bay (3-3) won for the 10th time in 13 road games. Frye completed 12 of 23 passes for just 83 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions for the Seahawks, who lost for the second time in three home games. They entered the season an NFC-best 42-14 at home since 2001.
JAGUARS 24, BRONCOS 17: At Denver, playing their best all-around game of the season, the Jaguars got superb performances from quarterback David Garrard and running back Maurice Jones-Drew, plus three takeaways by their defense. Garrard completed 25 of 34 passes for 276 yards, one TD and no interceptions and Jones-Drew rumbled for 125 yards and two TDs on 22 carries. The Jaguars (3-3) also won at Invesco Field last year, thanks to a franchise-record 18-play, 80-yard drive that chewed up nearly 12 minutes. This time, they wasted no time in sending the Broncos (4-2) to their first home loss since last Oct. 29 against Green Bay. After Jay Cutler and a wide-open tight end Nate Jackson failed to connect on a 26-yard touchdown pass and the Broncos settled for Matt Prater's 39-yard field goal, Jacksonville scored again, on Marcedes Lewis' 30-yard TD catch that made it 24-10.
CHARGERS 30, PATRIOTS 10: At San Diego, Philip Rivers and the San Diego Chargers solved their Patriots problem and perhaps saved their season. Rivers threw three touchdown passes and San Diego's defense stuffed quarterback Matt Cassel on fourth-and-goal from the 1-yard line to highlight a 30-10 win over the Patriots on Sunday night. It was a measure of payback against a team that had beaten the Chargers three straight times, including in the playoffs the last two seasons.
TEXANS 29, DOLPHINS 28: At Houston, Matt Schaub threw interceptions on Houston's first two possessions, but ran for a 3-yard touchdown with 3 seconds left. The Dolphins (2-3) had knocked down consecutive passes in the end zone before Schaub ran for the score. The 2-point conversion failed, but Houston had enough points. That drive was kept alive when Andre Johnson caught a 23-yard pass on fourth-and-10. Houston (1-4) got its first win in dramatic fashion a week after blowing a 17-point fourth-quarter lead in a 31-27 loss to the Colts. Ronnie Brown's 6-yard run with less than 2 minutes remaining gave Miami the lead. Chad Pennington was intercepted by Eugene Wilson moments earlier, but Wilson fumbled on the return and Miami recovered, giving the Dolphins a new set of downs to set up Brown's score.
VIKINGS 12, LIONS 10: At Minneapolis, a questionable pass interference penalty on Leigh Bodden put Minnesota's woeful offense in position for a 26-yard field goal by Ryan Longwell with 9 seconds to go. Detroit (0-5) outplayed the Vikings for the entire game in a spirited effort, but the Vikings (3-3) got a boost from a call by field judge Mike Weir. Trailing 10-9 in the final 3 minutes, Gus Frerotte threw deep down the sideline for Aundrae Allison, and the ball fell incomplete. But Weir whistled cornerback Bodden for pass interference despite what appeared to be minimal contact. Bodden was livid, but the 42-yard penalty gave the Vikings the ball at the Detroit 26. Longwell converted five plays later. Adrian Peterson rushed for 111 yards, but lost two fumbles. Bernard Berrian had five catches for 131 yards, including an 86-yard touchdown that cut Detroit's lead to 10-9 in the third quarter.
BUCCANEERS 27, PANTHERS 3: At Tampa, Fla., Jeff Garcia longed for another chance to show he's the right quarterback for the Buccaneers. The three-time Pro Bowl selection got it Sunday and delivered exactly what the Bucs were looking. He completed a high percentage of passes, managed the offense and — most of all — protected the football. Garcia, starting for the first time since the season opener because Brian Griese is injured, threw for 173 yards and a touchdown. Warrick Dunn had his most productive day running the ball since rejoining the Bucs with 115 yards on 22 carries. The victory, Tampa Bay's first at home against the division rival Panthers since 2002, gave the Bucs (4-2) a share of first place in the NFC South with Carolina (4-2).
COLTS 31, RAVENS 3: At Indianapolis, Peyton Manning threw two touchdown passes to Marvin Harrison, a third to Reggie Wayne, and the Colts sputtering offense finally got itself righted, against the Ravens' top-ranked defense. The Colts (3-2) played with the precision, efficiency and passion coach Tony Dungy had been seeking, and they delivered their best overall performance in months. Harrison caught two TD passes in a game for the first time since Dec. 24, 2006. Indy did that even after losing Pro Bowl running back Joseph Addai (hamstring) in the first quarter and third-string running back Mike Hart (knee) in the second quarter.
SAINTS 34, RAIDERS 3: At New Orleans, Drew Brees put on a clinic JaMarcus Russell would be wise to study. Connecting on 87 percent of his throws, Brees passed for 320 yards and three touchdowns. Oakland's Tom Cable spent his NFL head coaching debut watching in frustration as Russell completed only 13 of 35 passes for 159 yards, while throwing an interception and fumbling. Reggie Bush scored two TDs on a 3-yard run and 15-yard reception. His 21-yard reception in the first quarter gave him 200 catches through the first 34 games of his young career, tying him with Arizona receiver Anquan Boldin as the quickest NFL players to reach 200 receptions.
JETS 26, BENGALS 14: At East Rutherford, N.J., Thomas Jones ran for two touchdowns, including a 1-yarder late in the game, and caught a pass from Brett Favre for a score. The Jets (3-2) improved to 3-0 in games immediately following a bye under coach Eric Mangini, but this one was far from easy. With New York holding a 20-14 lead late in the game, the Jets needed a 10-play, 41-yard drive by Favre that ate up the clock and sealed the victory over the Bengals (0-6). Facing third-and-4 from the Bengals 7, Favre hit Chris Baker for 6 yards. Jones followed with a 1-yard rumble into the end zone with 2:22 left.